Mary Field
Directing
British director and screen writer, she is not to be confused with the American actress of the same name. Mary Field is best known for directing short educational and nature films. Field became the series director of Secrets of Nature in 1929. Previously a history teacher, she joined the film industry as an historical consultant in 1925, working for British Instructional Films. Although she had no training in science or filmmaking, Field quickly proved herself to be a first-class film director, developing a unique style that fused education and instruction. Field insisted that nature films were more than just a series of impressive images: they were the result of a painstaking process that involved scriptwriting, editing, filming, cutting and montage and synchronisation, as well as the collaboration of expert consultants. She continued to direct nature films under the new title Secrets of Life from 1934 when her production team, led by H. Bruce Woolfe, moved from British Instructional Films to Gaumont-British instructional. During the Second World War, she put her skills to work in producing public information films for the British government and was later commissioned to produce a series of educational films for the British Council. Field was a pioneer in understanding how children related to the cinema, and spearheaded attempts to adapt films to their taste. Her 1954 Carnegie report, Children and Films: A Study of Boys and Girls in the Cinema, investigated the reactions of children to a series of films by means of infra-red photography. Previous reports into children’s reactions to cinema had been based on questionnaires. Field had been interested in audience’s reactions long before this – as early as the late 1920s, she was adapting many of the Secrets of Nature films based on audience feedback.
Known for
Directing105
movieEbb-tide
1948
Director
movieKew and Me
1944
Director
movieMemories
1944
Director
movieDouble Thread
1943
Director
On The Moor
1942
Director
Climbers
1942
Director
Overlooked
1942
Director
Market Town
1942
Director
Atlantic
1941
Director
movieWisdom of the Wild
1940
Director
movie4 and 20 Fit Girls
1940
Director
Old Blue
1939
Director
Water Baby
1939
Director
movieThey Made the Land
1938
Director
Swan Song
1938
Director
Tawny Owl
1936
Director
Fish Face
1936
Director
Lupins
1936
Director
movieLondon Visitors
1936
Director
Sawfly
1936
Director
Cabbage
1935
Director
Living Lies
1935
Director
Hedgerows
1935
Director
Thistledown
1935
Director
Roots
1934
Director
movieGathering Moss
1933
Director
movieRomance in a Pond
1932
Director
Water Folk
1932
Director
movieStrictly Business
1931
Director
movieThe Mystery of Marriage
1931
Director
movieMagic Myxies
1931
Director
movieAny Evening After Work
1930
Director
movieThe Aphis
1930
Director
moviePeas and Cues
1930
Director
movieThe Irresponsibles
1929
Director
Plant Magic
1927
Director
movieWinter
1923
Director
Editing13
Production6
tvSecret Beneath the Sea
1963
Production Consultant
tvCity Beneath the Sea
1962
Production Consultant
tvPathfinders to Venus
1961
Production Consultant
tvPathfinders to Mars
1960
Production Consultant
tvPathfinders in Space
1960
Production Consultant
Target Luna
1960
Production Consultant
Writing3
Amazing Maize
1933
Screenplay
movieThe Mystery of Marriage
1931
Scenario Writer
Down Under
1930
Dialogue